Journaling Truth

To end suffering is not to refrain or restrain but to understand and realise why it occurs. There is nothing wrong with suffering, for suffering is only an indicator of an untrue state which has occurred in the mind. When one takes integrity and full honesty to put the mind up for inquiry and the truth reveals itself, the suffering ends. Hence, if one has truly understood the causes of suffering, it is likely the pattern is broken but will re-occur for further inquiry and understanding as there is still much more not seen, acknowledged or understood.
When one truly understands the causal relationship of what occurs in the mind, one naturally just knows what to do without needing an ounce of an effort to abstain or control.
While it is advised in the initial part of the journey to not react, it is merely an invitation to break the automated pattern so that the mode of taking responsibility to turn the radar inwards for inquiry can then commence. Inquiry or taking responsibility is not to say a path of self-blame but more of investigating what is perceived on the outside to be causing the turmoil arising within.
It is through this kind of inquiry with integrity that right understanding and realisation can surface. It has been said many times that when you understand yourself, will you understand others. I observe that a lot of people observe rules blindly without truly understanding them. I am not saying that there is no basis of understanding at all but it just stops at an outer layer. The other day, participants were mentioning that it was wrong to bribe a traffic police and that they would rather accept a summon. When I asked them why, they explained that because bribing a traffic police is condoning to their act of bribery; that is to mean that they saw wrongness in the act of accepting money from offenders for ease of administration which results in a win-win situation for both parties. My question posted to them thereafter was, do they not benefit from the bribery by having the ease of not having to visit the police station of paying summons? They argued that because it was wrong to bribe the traffic police, they didn’t mind the travelling. It was an awesome discovery to me that no one saw the whole mechanics of it. I questioned if anyone remembered why the Government gave traffic polices these roles and they were very quickly reminded that it was for the love of safety – to prevent speeding. I later questioned them again if they did see the whole overall picture of it, why did they still speed? Isn’t it amazing how we don’t take responsibility for our roles and then blame it on the traffic police? So they say, “but I am paying for the summon!!” and that is great! You are taking responsibility for an error which has occurred, but what has that got to do with the traffic police receiving a bribe or not? Having said that, I am speaking from a space of not citing the rightness or wrongness of bribing a traffic police or speeding but coming from the direction of why wrongness is perceived. Apparently, bribery in this area has formed a way for people not to take responsibility of their behaviour in driving resulting in safety on roads are being compromised. Realising this in yourself, do you not think you will play your part in taking responsibility of your own driving behaviour and also in accepting the summon graciously if an offence was conducted? Even if the traffic police has offered to ease your burden to let you off whether or not he be granted ease of paperwork; who would have to take responsibility when you begin to take out money from your wallet to do so, or not?
A fool would abstain from speeding because he doesn’t want to be summoned, or to encounter a bribery scene with a traffic police; but when you begin to have full understanding of the whole mechanics – as in the initial objective of why the ‘rule’ was placed there in the first place, do you not think it will be possible that driving responsibly will be a natural effect rather than a conscious doing of adhering to a rule?
This is only a mundane situation that arises in our everyday life and everything that happens within our awareness is open to that possibility of inquiry – to understanding, to realisation rather than succumbing to rules, precepts, commandments blindly. Instead of refraining, abstaining, restraining, controlling – why not, before acting or concluding on anything; ponder, investigate and realise what makes the initiation of an action performed, a word spoken thus a rule ‘adhered’?